It's Kamala, b*tch 💁

Aug 12, 2020

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#WednesdayWisdom

"You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas." — Shirley Chisholm

Morning Musings

To be honest with you, I had an entirely different topic planned for today, but then history happened. Yesterday afternoon, I was casually scrolling Twitter minding my business as I'm wont to do and I saw the tweet: Joe Biden had selected Kamala Harris as his running mate.

I immediately squealed, texted my dad "IT'S KAMALA!!" and proceeded to drop into a celebratory twerk in the kitchen.

Two years ago, I was waiting for the bus to go see about a bike and I was listening to Call Your Girlfriend. I was curious about this senator out of California who kept (rightfully) reading Trump for absolute filth and wanted to learn more.

Two years later, I was excited to vote for her in the Democratic primary, but wouldn't get the opportunity as she'd ended her campaign before the Illinois primary. This November, I'll get that chance.

I realize this is an unpopular opinion among my demographic and about half of Black Twitter. And that's fine, we're all entitled to our opinions. But you can't take away my excitement about voting for the first Black and Indian woman VP candidate. This tweet summarizes my sentiments exactly.

Now let's get to work. Register to vote if you haven't already and learn how to vote by mail here.

Love,
L'Oreal

ICYMI

When loyal subscriber and fellow Shondaland writer Kate Tamola tweeted asking people to share stories about the last thing they did before the pandemic, I knew I had to share the story about the #BlackGirlMagic brunch husbae and I hosted for about 30+ friends on Feb. 29. It was pretty fantabulous, if I do say so myself. Read the full story here.

Virtual Happenings

Aug. 13: Beyond Equality -- Pay Equity and Black Women. Celebrate Black Women's Equal Pay Day with this luncheon featuring some of Chicago's top leaders. (FREE)

Aug. 28: Sugaberry Presents: Milk & Suga. A day of virtual programming dedicated to celebrating, educating and empowering Black moms on their breastfeeding journey. (FREE)

Aug. 28: Mind Mapping to Heal From Impostor Syndrome. And another one featuring yours truly, this time in collaboration with Vanessa Flowers of Flower Girls Meet and Karen Spears of Kareacter Creative Studio. (FREE)

Links I Love

1. Black Activist Burnout: 'You Can't Do This Work If You're Running On Empty.' I mean, the headline pretty much says it all. (NPR)

2. 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment: Unpacking the Legacy. The 19th Amendment is oft celebrated for granting women the right to vote, but we know that didn't account for all women. These are the stories of the uncounted. (Teen Vogue)

3. Let's Discuss Caste and Colorism in 'Indian Matchmaking.' If you've been following along, you know I spent part of this pandemic binge-watching Indian Matchmaking and this essay is a must-read. (ZORA)

My Latest Obsession

At this point, I need a line item for Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin because it feels like Rihanna is coming for my paycheck with every single post. I've been slowly, but surely replacing my skincare regimen with products by Black woman-owned businesses, so the launch of Fenty Skin last month was right on time.

I started off with Fat Water, the combo toner and serum, and now I'm wishing I'd gotten the cleanser, too, because apparently that also doubles as makeup remover (but unfortunately for me it's currently sold out). I like that I don't need to use cotton pads for this toner (simply squeeze into your hand and go), so yay environment!

Idk if it's the packaging, the fact that Rihanna's behind it, but for the first time in my adult life I actually look forward to washing my face at night. #SmallVictories

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